Roman samian bowl, decorated and stamped - Collections Online | Museum Wales
This site uses cookies to improve your experience. View our Cookie Policy
Preferences

Cookie Preferences

Essential

These cookies are absolutely essential for our website to function properly.

 

Cookies that measure website use

We use Google Analytics to measure how you use the website so we can improve it based on user needs.

 

Cookies that help with communications and marketing

These cookies may be set by third party websites and do things like measure how you view YouTube videos.

 
 
View our Cookie Policy
Locations +
Amgueddfa Cymru
Cymraeg
My account
Collections & Research
Departments Collections Online National Collections Centre

Amgueddfa
Cymru
Family

National Museum Cardiff

St Fagans National Museum of History

National Waterfront Museum

Big Pit National Coal Museum

National Slate Museum

National Wool Museum

National Roman Legion Museum

  • Collections & Research
  • Departments
  • Collections Online
  • National Collections Centre
  • Articles
  • Ancient Wales
  • Art
  • Celf ar y Cyd
  • History
  • Natural History
  • The Museum at Work
  • Health, Wellbeing and Amgueddfa Cymru

Collections Online

Amgueddfa Cymru – Museum Wales

Advanced Search

Advanced Search

Image filter options
Back to search results

Roman samian bowl, decorated and stamped

Sherds from a large bowl (form 29), stamped OFVITA. This is the stamp of the potter Vitalis ii. He is known to have made form 30 bowls but the lack of uniformity of style in this form suggests that he was using moulds from a number of different potters. The bowl is approximately half-complete, with a well-worn footring and a rim drilled for rivetting. The rim is distorted and the bowl is burnt or, more probably, slightly wasted. The scroll in the upper zone has large and small spirals and four-petalled plants.The scroll in the lower zone has blurred (trifid?) motifs between triangular leaves with looped borders in the upper concavities. The lower concavities have complete motifs consisting of a central stem with triple poppy-heads at the top, enclosed in an elliptical festoon with acorn terminals. The side tendrils at the bottom end in stylised buds. There are fingerprints and finger nail impressions on the sherds, and sand-release imprint.

The samian recovered from the excavations on the British Telecom site, though not great in quantity, is of particular interest since it includes a substantial group of South Gaulish decorated ware from La Graufesenque, which belongs to the early occupation of the fortress. When reassembled, some of these bowls are largely complete, though the sherds have been widely scattered and often turned up in later levels. Some show evidence of considerable wear, including D1, the bowl that is stylistically the earliest found. This suggests that it had been used elsewhere before being brought to the fortress.

bowl

Collection Area

Archaeology & Numismatics

Item Number

88.3H/16.10

Find Information

Site Name: British Telecom Site, Caerleon

Grid Reference: ST 33 91
Collection Method: excavation
Date: 1987

Notes: Excavation conducted on land immediately to the east of the telephone exchange on Museum Street.

Categories

Dr 29
Comments are currently unavailable. We apologise for the inconvenience.

Related Items

Archaeology & Numismatics

Roman samian bowl, decorated and stamped

36.470/18.2
More information
Archaeology & Numismatics

Roman samian bowl, decorated and stamped

36.470/18.1
More information
Archaeology & Numismatics

Roman samian bowl, decorated and stamped

88.3H/16.5
More information
Archaeology & Numismatics

Roman samian bowl, decorated and stamped

88.3H/16.8
More information

Site Map

Amgueddfa Cymru

Amgueddfa Cymru

  • Visiting
  • Collections & Research
  • Learn
  • Blog
  • Support Us
  • Shop
  • Venue Hire

Our Museums

  • National Museum Cardiff
  • St Fagans National Museum of History
  • National Waterfront Museum
  • Big Pit National Coal Museum
  • National Slate Museum
  • National Wool Museum
  • National Roman Legion Museum

Connect With Us

  • Contact Us
  • Get Involved
  • Join the Mailing List
  • Facebook
  • Instagram

Corporate

  • About Us
  • Jobs
  • Press Office
  • Picture Library
  • National Collections Centre
  • Working with Others
  • Accessibility statement
  • Cookies
  • Copyright
Sponsored by Welsh Government
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
Charity No. 525774
× ❮ ❯